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Vista Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Vista Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$719k
Granted FY2024still arriving
53
Grants FY2024still arriving
13
States reached
$55k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0195% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Arts & Culture$1.2MEducation$789kHealth$533kEnvironment$402kAnimals$295kRecreation & Sports$289kReligion$197kFood & Nutrition$141kOther$0
02FY2024 · 53 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k17 grants · $71k
  • $10k–50k35 grants · $593k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $55k
$10,000
Median grant
13
States reached
$8.8M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
THE NATURE CONSERVANCY$55,000
KEY WEST LITERARAY SEMINAR$45,000
PRAYING FOR CHANGE FOUNDATION$30,000
CAM$30,000
CAM FOUNDATION$25,000
TAKE STOCK IN CHILDREN$25,000
MANIFEST CREATIVE RESEARCH GALLERY$25,000
AFGHAN SCOUT RELIEF FUND$25,000
CAMPING & EDUCATION FOUNDATION$25,000
Individual grant recipient$20,000
CINCINNATI CARE$20,000
CINCINNATI ZOO$20,000
CURE ALZHEIMER'S FUND$20,000
ST MARY STAR OF THE SEA$20,000
NEUVA$20,000
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY17–24, $101k) land where the poverty rate runs at 15%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 89% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%ADOPT-A-NATIVE-ELDER: $10k → 8%MARYVILLE ACADEMY: $675 → 14%THE GRAIL: $2k → 9%YMCA OF METRO CHICAGO: $1k → 14%FIRST STEP HOME: $10k → 16%FIRST STEP HOME: $10k → 16%FIRST STEP HOME: $5k → 16%TALBERT HOUSE: $3k → 16%FIRST STEP HOME: $2k → 16%FIRST STEP HOME: $1k → 16%FIRST STEP HOME: $1k → 16%FIRST STEP HOME: $1k → 16%KENZIE'S CLOSET: $500 → 16%LADD INC: $15k → 16%LADD INC: $7k → 16%LADD INC: $6k → 16%LADD INC: $5k → 16%LADD INC: $5k → 16%LADD INC: $5k → 16%KEN ANDERSON ALLIANCE: $6k → 16%CINCINNATI SQUASH ACADEMY: $3k → 16%CINCINNATI SQUASH ACADEMY: $3k → 16%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.

Which US states its grants reach

WA
ID
MN
IL
MI
NY
MA
OH
PA
CT
CA
UT
CO
KY
VA
MD
NM
KS
TN
SC
DC
LA
AL
TX
FL
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

82%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$3.7M · 98 repeat orgs$803k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +22% since the first grant, against +13% for those funded once.

98 repeat relationships: 37 still active in FY2024, 61 since wound down; 14 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

98
82

Total granted

$3.7M
$558k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+22%
+13%

Still filing today

56%
39%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 63% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $245k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
Arts & CultureEducationHuman ServicesHealthEnvironmentFood & NutritionOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • KW
    KEY WEST LITERARY SEMINAR INC
    6× · 2017–2024 · $125k · revenue +175%
  • SS
    SITE SANTA FE
    8× · 2017–2024 · $83k · revenue +65%
  • CC
    CINCINNATI COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL
    8× · 2017–2024 · $82k · revenue +20%

Funded once

  • NATIONAL ALLIANCE TO END HOMELESSNESS
    one grant, 2023 · $50k · revenue +15%
  • IG
    Individual grant recipient
    one grant, 2023 · $30k
  • GU
    GREEN UMBRELLA
    one grant, 2021 · $25k · revenue -70%
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Central Indiana Corporate Partnership Inc

Central indiana corporate partnership (cicp) is an alliance of indiana's business and research university leaders coming together to foster long-term prosperity for the region. cicp's mission is to transform the economy of indiana in order…

Community Improvement
2
Museum of Arts and Design

To collect, display and interpret objects in craft art and design.

Arts & Culture
3
California College of the Arts

California college of the arts educates students to shape culture and society through the practice and critical study of art, architecture, design, and writing. benefitting from its san francisco bay area location, the college prepares…

Education
4
Columbus College of Art & Design

Ccad fosters a diverse community that educates students so they can unleash their creative power to shape culture and commerce.

Education
5
Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra

Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra (CCO) creates intimate, transformative experiences that connect the musically curious.

Arts & Culture
6
Art Academy of Cincinnati

Our mission is to operate, maintain, and oversee an independent college of art and design.

Education
7
The Common Application Inc

The common application is a not-for-profit membership organization of over 1,100 colleges and universities across the globe committed to access, equity, and integrity in the college admission process. every year, over 1.5 million students…

Education
8
The Greater Cincinnati Foundation

As a trusted and connected partner, we inspire generous people to invest in a more equitable and vibrant region now and for generations to come.

Philanthropy
9
The Cleveland Institute of Art

The mission statement of the cleveland institute of art is as follows: to cultivate creative leaders who inspire people, strengthen communities, and contribute to a thriving and sustainable economy through an innovative education in art…

Education
10
The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati

The mission of The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati (TCT) is to educate, entertain and engage audiences of all ages through professional theatrical productions and arts education programming. Our vision is to awaken a lifelong love of…

Arts & Culture
11
Wilson College

Wilson college empowers students to be confident and critical thinkers, creative visionaries, effective communicators, honorable leaders, and agents of justice.

Education
12
Columbia College Chicago

The organization's mission is to educate students for creative occupations in diverse fields of arts and media.

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Cincinnati Museum Association; the most unlike its peers is The Ladd Foundation. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

100 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 100 of the 197 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

1
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
14
Early backer (in before they grew)
97/100
Grantees still filing
63/100
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

CINCINNATI ZOO: $274,500 · OtherCINCINNATI ZOOTHE NATURE CONSERVATORY: $125,000 · OtherKEY WEST LITERARY SEMINAR INC: $125,000 · OtherCAMPING EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION: $108,071 · Other+130 more: $2,045,031 · Other+130 moreCINCINNATI MUSEUM ASSOCIATION: $387,500 · Arts & CultureCINCINNATI MUSEUM AS…SITE SANTA FE: $83,000 · Arts & CultureSITE SANTA FECINCINNATI ARTS ASSOCIATION: $40,500 · Arts & CultureThe Contemporary Arts Center: $39,500 · Arts & CultureTAFT MUSEUM OF ART: $38,000 · Arts & CultureCINCINNATI MUSEUM CENTER: $35,000 · Arts & CultureART OPPORTUNITIES INC: $33,500 · Arts & CultureCincinnati Playhouse in the Park: $33,000 · Arts & Culture+13 more: $130,250 · Arts & Culture+13 moreTHE CHATFIELD EDGE: $239,500 · EducationTHE CHATFIELD ED…NEURO-ACUPUNCTURE INSTITUTE INC: $146,000 · EducationNEURO-ACUPUNCTUR…CINCINNATI COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL: $82,000 · EducationCINCINNATI COUNT…REGIS UNIVERSITY: $37,000 · EducationREGIS UNIVERSITYMONROE COUNTY EDUCATION FOUNDATION INC: $31,000 · EducationTHE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO: $26,825 · EducationCANTERBURY SCHOOL INC: $25,550 · EducationTHE BAY SCHOOL OF SAN FRANCISCO: $25,000 · Education+5 more: $49,000 · Education+5 moreTHE HILLSIDE TRUST: $39,000 · EnvironmentCINCINNATI NATURE CENTER: $36,650 · EnvironmentGREEN UMBRELLA: $25,000 · EnvironmentTHE CORAL RESTORATION FOUNDATION INC: $17,500 · EnvironmentFriends of the Santa Fe River: $10,000 · EnvironmentWOOD RIVER LAND TRUST CO: $10,000 · EnvironmentMILL CREEK ALLIANCE: $5,000 · Environment+1 more: $2,000 · EnvironmentBEECHWOOD HOME: $43,000 · HealthJoseph House Inc: $22,000 · HealthALZHEIMER'S DISEASE RESEARCH FOUNDATION: $20,000 · HealthCHILDREN'S HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER: $7,000 · HealthLITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR SACRED HEART HOME: $6,000 · HealthFAMILY HOUSE INC: $5,000 · Health+3 more: $4,500 · HealthLiving Arrangements for the Developmentally Disabled Inc: $42,500 · Human ServicesTHE FIRST STEP HOME INC: $30,000 · Human ServicesAdopt-A-Native Elder: $10,000 · Human ServicesEmanuel Community Center DBA Cincinnati Squash Academy: $6,000 · Human ServicesKEN ANDERSON ALLIANCE: $6,000 · Human Services+5 more: $6,675 · Human ServicesTSIC INC DBA/TAKE STOCK IN CHILDREN: $71,000 · Crime & LegalSOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER INC: $15,000 · Crime & Legal
Other$2,677,602Arts & Culture$820,250Education$661,875Environment$145,150Health$107,500Human Services$101,175Crime & Legal$86,000

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetCINCINNATI MUSEUM ASSOCIATION: $387,500 over 8y, 0.4% of budgetTHE CHATFIELD EDGE: $239,500 over 5y, 1.2% of budgetNEURO-ACUPUNCTURE INSTITUTE INC: $146,000 over 6y, 18% of budgetKEY WEST LITERARY SEMINAR INC: $125,000 over 6y, 3.1% of budgetSITE SANTA FE: $83,000 over 8y, 0.9% of budgetCINCINNATI COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL: $82,000 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetLA SOUPE INC: $73,500 over 8y, 0.8% of budgetCincinnati Parks Foundation: $72,500 over 8y, 0.5% of budgetTSIC INC DBA/TAKE STOCK IN CHILDREN: $71,000 over 4y, 0.3% of budgetCISE: $64,000 over 8y, 0.2% of budgetTHE NATURE CONSERVANCY: $63,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetCAMPING AND EDUCATION FOUNDATION: $50,000 over 2y, 0.6% of budgetNATIONAL ALLIANCE TO END HOMELESSNESS: $50,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetOUR DAILY BREAD: $50,000 over 5y, 0.6% of budgetPLAYING FOR CHANGE FOUNDATION: $47,000 over 3y, 0.9% of budgetTHE JOE BURROW FOUNDATION: $45,000 over 2y, 1.6% of budgetBEECHWOOD HOME: $43,000 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetLiving Arrangements for the Developmentally Disabled Inc: $42,500 over 6y, 0.1% of budgetCINCINNATI ARTS ASSOCIATION: $40,500 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetThe Contemporary Arts Center: $39,500 over 6y, 0.4% of budgetTHE HILLSIDE TRUST: $39,000 over 8y, 2.4% of budgetTAFT MUSEUM OF ART: $38,000 over 7y, 0.2% of budgetREGIS UNIVERSITY: $37,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetCINCINNATI NATURE CENTER: $36,650 over 5y, 0.2% of budgetCINCINNATI MUSEUM CENTER: $35,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetART OPPORTUNITIES INC: $33,500 over 5y, 0.3% of budgetCincinnati Playhouse in the Park: $33,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetMONROE COUNTY EDUCATION FOUNDATION INC: $31,000 over 3y, 2.4% of budgetTHE FIRST STEP HOME INC: $30,000 over 7y, 0.2% of budgetTENDER MERCIES INC: $30,000 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetTHE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO: $26,825 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE ACCESS FUND: $26,500 over 5y, 0.2% of budgetCANTERBURY SCHOOL INC: $25,550 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetGREEN UMBRELLA: $25,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetManifest Creative Research Gallery: $25,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetCAM FOUNDATION: $25,000 over 1y, 33% of budgetAFGHAN SCOUT RELIEF FUND: $25,000 over 1y, 4.5% of budgetTHE BAY SCHOOL OF SAN FRANCISCO: $25,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetSAINT ELIZABETH SHELTER CORPORATION: $24,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetJoseph House Inc: $22,000 over 4y, 0.5% of budgetTHE SUN CLUB INC: $20,500 over 4y, 12% of budgetCINCINNATI SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: $20,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetXAVIER UNIVERSITY: $20,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetALZHEIMER'S DISEASE RESEARCH FOUNDATION: $20,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE LADD FOUNDATION: $20,000 over 2y, 3.3% of budgetTHE CORAL RESTORATION FOUNDATION INC: $17,500 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetTHE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI FOUNDATION: $16,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER INC: $15,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

  • Who funds CINCINNATI MUSEUM ASSOCIATION ↗
  • Who funds THE CHATFIELD EDGE ↗
  • Who funds NEURO-ACUPUNCTURE INSTITUTE INC ↗
  • Who funds KEY WEST LITERARY SEMINAR INC ↗
  • Who funds SITE SANTA FE ↗
  • Who funds CINCINNATI COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL ↗
  • Who funds LA SOUPE INC ↗
  • Who funds Cincinnati Parks Foundation ↗
  • Who funds TSIC INC DBA/TAKE STOCK IN CHILDREN ↗
  • Who funds CISE ↗
  • Who funds THE NATURE CONSERVANCY ↗
  • Who funds CAMPING AND EDUCATION FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds NATIONAL ALLIANCE TO END HOMELESSNESS ↗
  • Who funds OUR DAILY BREAD ↗
  • Who funds PLAYING FOR CHANGE FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds THE JOE BURROW FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds BEECHWOOD HOME ↗
  • Who funds Living Arrangements for the Developmentally Disabled Inc ↗
  • Who funds CINCINNATI ARTS ASSOCIATION ↗
  • Who funds The Contemporary Arts Center ↗
  • Who funds THE HILLSIDE TRUST ↗
  • Who funds TAFT MUSEUM OF ART ↗
  • Who funds REGIS UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds CINCINNATI NATURE CENTER ↗
  • Who funds CINCINNATI MUSEUM CENTER ↗
  • Who funds ART OPPORTUNITIES INC ↗
  • Who funds Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park ↗
  • Who funds MONROE COUNTY EDUCATION FOUNDATION INC ↗

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

The Greater Cincinnat…Louise Taft Semple Fo…The Thomas J Emery Me…Carol Ann and Ralph V…John a Schroth Family…Earthward Bound Found…Williams FoundationThe Wohlgemuth Hersch…Robert a & Marian K K…L & L Nippert Charita…Sutphin Family Founda…Marge & Charles J Sch…
The Greater Cincinnati FoundationOH53× affinity31 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Greater Cincinnati Foundation · Louise Taft Semple Foundation · The Thomas J Emery Memorial · Carol Ann and Ralph V Haile Jr Foundation · John a Schroth Family Char Tr · Earthward Bound Foundation · Williams Foundation · The Wohlgemuth Herschede Foundation Co Fifth Third Bank Na Agent · Robert a & Marian K Kennedy Charitable Trust · L & L Nippert Charitable Foundation Inc Attn Carter F Randolph Phd · Sutphin Family Foundation Ica · Marge & Charles J Schott Foundation

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Vista Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Vista Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 40%3%10%23%40%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 3%
  • The Coral Restoration Foundation Inc: 16% of income from government
  • Trustees of Boston College: 3% of income from government
  • Tsic Inc Dba/Take Stock in Children: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
4get no government money at all
25report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
typical government reliance, FY20–25
How this is measured
Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 197 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Vista’s filings →

More from the funding graph

The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home